I have a question about my Panthers. I want to see what other teams think about keeping Ron Rivera as coach......

I have no problem with keeping Rivera.  Rivera was hired when ya'll had the Number one pick in the draft (worst record).  The second year yielded 7 wins and actually a 2nd place finish in the division.  Now I don't put much stock in the 2nd place finish, but it does build morale.

The Panthers played well coming down the stretch and were very competitive in a lot of games.  Next year will actually be a big year for Cam Newton and the Panthers.  For the most part the NFL is a 4th quarter league with the majority of the games being decided in the 4th quarter and your better teams find a way to win the bulk of those games.

It will be interesting to see if the Panthers can become a good team or if they are a team that can play a good game. 

The problem from where I sit is that I do not see Carolina as having the makeup to be an 11 or 12 win team so that automatically puts you in the hunt for a wildcard.  Now the question is can Carolina win enough games to finish second in the division again and have a chance.

The schedule does not get easier.  They will have their usually 6 games against the Falcons, Saints and Bucs.  The Panthers went 3-3 in those games without beating Tampa.  The Panthers will also play at Minnesota and host the Giants again.  The AFC East games will feature the Dolphins, Bills, Jets and Patriots.  The NFC West games feature 49ers, Rams, Seahawks and Cardinals. 

When I look at those games I think maybe 9 wins are possible.  More than likely 8-8.